Clayton Kershaw will be the Dodgers’ opening-day starter for the third consecutive year, Manager Don Mattingly announced Saturday.

The Dodgers start their season on April 1 against the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.

It was a no-brainer for Mattingly, even though the Dodgers front office inked a record six-year, $147 million free agent contract with right-handed starter Zack Greinke this offseason.

Kershaw posted a dominant 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 229/63 K/BB ratio over 227 2/3 innings last summer. The 24-year-old left-hander is currently scheduled to hit the free agent market following the 2014 campaign.